The Houston Rockets got off to a great start in the 2019 NBA Playoffs, and they are looking to take a 2-0 series lead over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night. Houston slipped to the number four seed to begin the playoffs, but look like a real contender in the Western Conference. The Jazz are hoping to win game two and steal home court advantage away from the mighty Rockets.
Houston cruised to a 122-90 victory in game one of the series, and they did it with an impressive offensive performance. The Jazz and Rockets split their four games in the regular season, but they didn’t look close in the series opener. Houston won the Southwest Division with 53 wins during the regular season, and the Jazz tallied 50 wins. The Rockets are a -6.5 point favorite in game two of the series.
Jazz Need To Shoot Well
If Utah is going to get back in this series with a win in game two, then they are going to have to make more shots. The Jazz went just 7-27 from the three-point line in the series opener and shot just 39 percent from the field. Utah scored almost 112 points per game during the regular season, but their offense did not show up in game one. Look for the Jazz to have a much better offensive performance in this second game.
Rudy Gobert has 22 points and 12 rebounds in game one, and Donovan Mitchell chipped in with 19 points. Utah got just 18 points from their bench in the series-opening loss, and this must be corrected moving forward. The Jazz also committed 19 turnovers in game one, and they can’t afford to miss out on that many offensive possessions. Utah has plenty of adjustments to make for this game.
Rockets Have Plenty of Depth
The Houston Rockets are led by the best scorer in the NBA, but the rest of their roster isn’t too bad either. James Harden led all scorers with 29 points in the series opener, but the Rockets had seven different players in double-figures in the series opener. The Rockets love to take a ton of three-point shots, and they knocked down 15 of them in game one. Houston has the ability to put up a ton of points, especially if they get rolling early.
The biggest surprise of this series so far has been the play of the Rockets defense. Houston absolutely locked down the Jazz in the series opener, and tallied six steals and six blocked shots. Center Clint Capela had 12 rebounds, and the Rockets just took the Jazz out of everything they want to do. If the Rockets continue to take pride in their defense moving forward, then they are going to be tough to beat.
Houston Rolls to 2-0 Lead
The Utah Jazz have had a terrific season, but they aren’t going to extend their season past this series. Houston is one of the best teams in the NBA, and they appear to be locked in already. Look for the Rockets to have another dominating performance in game two and take a 2-0 series lead. Bet the Houston Rockets -6.5 over the Utah Jazz.
